1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel medicinal agents and their use in a pharmaceutical composition. In particular, the invention concerns 2-substituted-4-(4-imidazolyl)pyridines and a pharmaceutical composition for their use as anti-ulcer agents.
2. Description of the Art
In the past, various attempts have been made by investigators in the field of organic medicinal chemistry to obtain new and better anti-ulcer agents. For the most part, these efforts have involved the synthesis and testing of various heretofore new and unavailable organic compounds, particularly in the area of organic heterocyclic bases, in an endeavor to determine their ability to inhibit the secretion of gastric acid in the stomach without causing any substantial anticholinergic side effects to occur that might possibly be considered undesirable from a pharmacological point of view. However, in the search for newer and still better or more improved anti-ulcer agents, far less is known about the effect (particularly on peptic ulcers) of other organic compounds in this area which could proceed in the body via a non-anticholinergic mechanism and yet still possess gastric acid antisecretory properties. Nevertheless, G. J. Durant et al., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,022,797, 4,024,271 and 4,027,026 do disclose that certain histamine H.sub.2 -receptor inhibitors in the thioalkyl-, aminoalkyl- and oxyalkylguanidine series and in the pyridyl-substituted thioalkyl- and oxyalkylthiourea series, respectively, are useful for these purposes even though these particular compounds are not known to be anticholinergic per se. These particular histamine H.sub.2 -receptor inhibitors all function by antagonizing those responses to histamine, such as the stimulation of the secretion of gastric acid in the stomach, which cannot be blocked by the action of a histamine H.sub.1 -receptor antagonist like mepyramine, for example. As a result, these compounds are definitely of value as histamine H.sub.2 -receptor inhibitors for controlling gastric acidity and are therefore useful in the treatment of peptic ulcers and other like conditions of the body, etc.
Yamada, et al., Yakugaku Zasshi, 95 (5), 487 (1975) (C.A. 83, 113633r) has reported the preparation of 4-(4-pyridyl)imidazole as a by-product in the reaction of 4-pyridylcarbinol and formaldehyde, while Schunack, Arch. Pharmaz. 306, 934 (1973) has reported the same compound as an intermediate in the synthesis of compounds having "histamine-like" activity.